Giving Learners Control and Responsibility for Learning

February 9th, 2009 By: Jennifer Stanchfield, M.S. in Articles, Teachers' Corner

Editor’s note:This article is an excerpt from Stanchfield’s book, Tips & Tools: the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. (2007) Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing, Oklahoma City.

Empowering students to feel like they own their learning experience and have control from the start can encourage participation and “buy-in” by group members. Simple but intentional actions on the part of the teacher can establish a positive, trusting environment in which participants feel empowered by participation rather than at the mercy of the facilitator.

Think about creating opportunities that build this sense of choice and control for participants from the very beginning of the program. In warm-up activities where someone is in the spotlight (or the middle), make sure there is a rule that allows a person who may be inhibited about being in this position an easy out or an option to participate at their own pace.

For example, when facilitating the well-know icebreaker “have you Ever?” (Rohnke, 1991), I always create an option. Have you Ever? requires each student to stand in the center of a circle of students and ask a “Have you ever” question about something they have done in order to establish commonalities with their fellow class members – for example, “Have you ever been to Paris?” At that point, everyone in the circle who has been to Paris has to leave their spot and find a new one, and the person from the center grabs one of those empty spots, leaving someone new in the center to ask a question. The option would be to establish at the beginning of the game an easy buzzword that the person in the center can say if they can’t think of a “Have you ever” question. My colleague, Michelle Cummings, has another variation that does not use a middle spot at all; instead she uses a different colored spot that is actually part of the perimeter of the Have You Ever? circle. This becomes the question spot. By making it part of the circle, the fun and challenge are maintained while the tension of being the center of attention is reduced.

Creating situations that allow more introverted students some kind of out or aid gives them an opportunity to participate fully and warm up to group process, trusting that you wont’ put them in a situation that is embarrassing or puts them on the spot before they are ready. This technique used during a silly warm-up game can pay off later in the school year. By building trust in this way, students build comfort within the class and are more willing to push their comfort zones later when it really matters. If some people are challenged too early in a program before any trust builders or warm-ups, a teacher risks losing them!

Some strategies that I have found to help students feel what John Dewey called “perceived internal freedom” and in control of their learning include:

• Allowing students to pass in a group discussion, especially at the start of group process
• Thoughtfully sequencing activities and discussion methods to build comfort within the group incrementally.
• Taking time to get the group warmed up! Start with partner sharing before large group sharing.
• Not calling on people to share in a group, instead creating opportunities for students to volunteer.

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